The first 24 hours of Donald Trump’s presidency have not been without controversy. His first decisions as president have been aimed at breaking ties with the previous administration, close to Joe Biden. And one of his first victims was chef Jose Andres, who was fired along with several members of the presidential council.
On Tuesday, January 21, Trump took to his official Truth Social profile to clarify the measure: “My Presidential Personnel Office is in the process of identifying and removing more than a thousand presidential appointees from the previous administration who are not aligned with our vision of ‘Make America Great Again‘.”
Trump promises more layoffs “soon”
This decision affects not only chef Jose Andres, who belonged to the Presidential Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, but also Brian Hook, of the Wilson Center for Scholars; Keisha Lance Bottoms, of the Presidential Export Council; and finally, Mark Milley, of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council.
The president made it clear that these four people were “fired” and warned that there would be more departures in the coming weeks. Thus, Trump is taking it upon himself to remove all those who, at one time or another, have raised their voices against his xenophobic measures and speeches.
Chef Jose Andres, who holds US citizenship and was recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, has always been a staunch opponent of Trump. His enmity actually dates back to 2015, prior to the Republican’s first term as president.
At the time, the tycoon wanted ThinkFoodGroup, Jose Andres’ company, to run the kitchen of one of his hotels in Washington D.C. But after hearing Trump’s words against the Mexican community, he broke the agreement. Since then, despite attempts to appear cordial, the relationship has always been marked by tension.